


Monsters & Mating: Bonding a Mount

by wanderingaddict



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal, Anal Sex, Bottom Shiro (Voltron), Dragon & Human Interactions, Dragon!Keith, Dungeons and Dragons, M/M, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Oral Sex, Pining, Rimming, SHEITH - Freeform, but Shiro mostly bottoms, dragon dicks, well they're verse, which means dragon dicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-06-28 16:08:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19815766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingaddict/pseuds/wanderingaddict
Summary: Keith's back from running missions with the Blade of Marmora, and eager to get in on the Monsters & Mana games, which remind him of life back on Earth. Coran is eager to break out the latest Monsters & Mana supplement, "Monsters & Mating". It's chock-full of many interesting options for developing new relationships or deepening old ones. His character, Darkscale, would fit perfectly with Shiro's character, Takashi Shirogane, but will the dice let his dreams play out?





	1. Chapter 1

Keith padded down the white metal corridor of the Castle, his footsteps hardly even a whisper despite his speed. He had his personal data pad in one hand, two bags of deep-fried kora from Olkarion in the other, and a determined set to his face. Tonight was Game Night, and by the Space Goddess, he was ready: he had his backstory (lone orphan), he had his class (barbarian: claw attacks), he had his race (half-dragon), and he had come up with a name: Darkscale, Son of Stormfury the Tyrannical and her human husband, Art. 

He’d even doodled a few ideas for how Darkscale might look; mostly fangs and claws, dark violet eyes, horns, a tail. Sensibly small, for precision striking and being able to stealth without penalty. Between his natural scale armor and a decent dex score, the half-dragon would be a pretty solid character.

Having something so mundane as playing a tabletop game with the rest of the team was a welcome reprieve after the constant, hard-line pressure of the Blade of Marmora. 

It was also nice in… other ways. Returning to the Castle of Lions after so many missions with the Blades was disconcerting: the peace of its quiet hallways, the soothing hum of Altean magitech all around, were a far cry from the cramped shuttles and stealth missions he’d grown used to these last few months. As much as he missed his friends, the humanitarian aid work they’d been doing was rather light, to say the least, compared to the work of the Blade. It made that distance that had started before he’d left that much more noticeable, despite their camaraderie. 

If he were better with words, perhaps he could do something about it. As it stood, however..

“Keith.” Shiro’s voice interrupted his thoughts, though the Red paladin would never begrudge him the intrusion. Shiro came from a side corridor behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re joining us again.” 

The smell of the man, fresh-showered and yet somehow definitely _masculine_ beneath a sporty deodorant made Keith’s nostrils flair. “I wouldn’t miss it,.” he assured, falling into stride with the taller paladin. He shot Shiro a little grin. “It’s nice to do something as a team that isn’t about Voltron.”

“I know right? I’ve been really impressed with how quickly we can come together when we’re put into a fantasy situation.” Shiro offered a wry smirk. “Plus I’ve noticed you’re pretty quick to pick up on the rules. Have you played this before?”

“Back on Earth I… may have played something similar.” There was no way in hell that Keith was going to admit to having eagerly participated in some of the cheesiest RPGs the internet had to offer. “It’s a good way to take your mind off things, sometimes.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me about it? I love this stuff!”

“This is all…” Keith waved a hand. “Orks and majikks,” he drawled. “You always seemed like a lasers and blasters kind of guy.” 

“By the Goddess - Keith, how long have you known me?” Shiro demanded, shaking his head. “Sure I love sci-fi-” 

“You really, really do.”

“But I can quote all of the Hobbit movies _and_ the Silmarillion hexalogy by heart!” the older man continued, very clearly choosing to ignore the quips from the peanut gallery.

“Oh, is that why you liked that movie with the little goblin and the dragon or whatever? I thought it was just because of all the hot guys in it.” His mouth ached with the effort of keeping a straight face.

“The little -,” Shiro began, shaking. “The little _goblin_ and _dragon_?!” He spun Keith about, comically torn between laughter and indignant rage. He held up one finger. “Okay, A), I don’t even know where to start with you because Aethalas Leafsong was _clearly_ an elf, and his _pegasus_ looked nothing like a dragon, and B),” he continued, feigning hurt. “I know you think I’m fickle in taste and throw myself at any guy with a good set of pecs, but I _can _also enjoy a movie for its well-written plot and positive message!”__

__“Maybe the good pecs just help?”_ _

__“Maybe they help a _little_!” the Black paladin conceded, holding his fingers apart by an inch. Then he rallied. “Wait a tick - why are you the one dragging _me _!”___ _

____Keith ducked his face, stifling his chuckles, as Shiro prodded him with an accusatory finger. “ _You_ have every space opera completely memorized! YOU made me watch the Moons of Jupiter series like, three freaking times!”_ _ _ _

____“Hey- hey!” The Blade cried, fending him off ineffectually. “I did that for you! I know it’s your favorite, you can’t fool me, Shiro!” Keith’s grin took on a sly curve. “All those steamy shower scenes,” he drawled, accent showing, waggling his eyebrows, “between big bad Dane and goody-good Kevin-”_ _ _ _

____“KEITH!” the Black paladin’s eyes blazed, his affront giving the Blade a moment to try darting away before a pair of powerful arms encircled him - at the neck. “I am going to strangle you!”_ _ _ _

____“I saved your life!” Keith choked out, still chortling._ _ _ _

____“It’s always going to be that with you now, isn’t it!” Shiro groused, pushing the smaller man away from him, though he still laughed. “Thank you, Keith.” His voice was sugary, but quickly softened. “For that. And the countless times you’ll probably do so again in the future.”_ _ _ _

____He put a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder, face soft, eyes aglow with that inner light that could sweeten even the bitterest heart. “It’s good to have you with us.”_ _ _ _

____Keith gazed at him, at a loss, like always. “Shiro…”_ _ _ _

____Shiro clapped him on the back, breaking the spell. “Now come on, let’s see what Coran has in store for us.”_ _ _ _

____Game Night was always held in the eight floor lounge, which didn’t take them long to get to. The rest of the paladins were already there, along with the two Alteans - six Alteans when including the mice._ _ _ _

____Shiro took his customary seat beside Coran, peering at the older man’s materials. “So what are we doing here?”_ _ _ _

____Coran held up a double-size datapad, his eyes shining. “Oh! Well, this is the newest supplement of Monsters and Mana, called ‘Monsters and Mating!’”_ _ _ _

____The cover of the Monsters and Mana e-book featured a kluzzgul kissing a bard._ _ _ _

____“Um.” Lance was the first to speak. “Kind of a weird name. Gonna be honest about that.”_ _ _ _

____His concern was waved off. “Don’t let the title fool you, it’s not all about paramours and romance! This is a new set of rules and ideas to encourage team-building, enrich players’ backstories, and interact with the various npcs of the world!” Coran explained, face alight. He tabbed through the pages, showing off table after table of numbers, suggested ideas, and flavor text. “WIth it, there are stats for track all your various relationships, from friends and acquaintances to maybe even a future spouse!”_ _ _ _

____“Ooo, there’s finally a rule-set for how to pick up girls,” Hunk cooed, elbowing his fellow paladin._ _ _ _

____Lance’s frown only deepened. “Only a nerd would think there’s some sort of dice roll that could get him a girl.”_ _ _ _

____Coran handwaved him again. “Oh it’s much more than tips for wooing a lifemate! It’s a complicated system that allows the player to boost their natural performance with inarguable math!”_ _ _ _

____“Say what?” Hunk deadpanned._ _ _ _

____“Say your little character is trying to get information from one of the townspeople who’s harboring a dangerous fugitive. Well, you can’t just very well walk up to them and demand an answer, can you? But!” Coran held up a gloved finger, tabbing to a two-page table with a multitude of entries.. “With the new NPC relationship guide, you can befriend them, unlocking otherwise secret information! Stuff that could lead to hidden treasure, or even new quests! Will you join them in aiding the fugitive? Or perhaps the fugitive knows the key to breaking into the local dungeon!”_ _ _ _

____“Couldn’t we just do all that before?” Lance asked, quizzically._ _ _ _

____“Yes, but now you roll dice to decide on a specific course! Do you want to merely befriend the lonely dryad, or has your character taken a deeper liking to her? We don’t have to rely on vague interpretation of intent. You roll, you add your bonuses based on previous interactions to the result, and voila! You’re together!”_ _ _ _

____Pidge adjusted her glasses, smirking. “Yeah, this way you can actually be successful with a girl.”_ _ _ _

____“Pidge!” Lance crossed his arms, indignant. “I’ve been _plenty_ successful with _plenty_ girls!”_ _ _ _

____She looked skeptical, but was cut off before she could respond. “Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, we’re playing with it.” Coran primly slapped his datapad to his breast, wagging a finger at all of them. “So I expect you all to know the rules, the tables on pages 3, 15, and 125 through 132, and what the general DCs of forming romantic relationships are.” He then swiped a number of times across his datapad, each of the paladins’ pinging in turn. “Here are your individual copies, and take a brief moment to review before we settle in for the session.”_ _ _ _

____The Voltron team took them, some more reluctant than others, but their protests dying as each found that the new supplement was actually rather interesting. Not always that relevant for all of their builds, but definitely providing a wide array of options._ _ _ _

____Keith skipped past the barbarian’s entry, not terribly interested in any of the clan mechanics. The expanded flavor of the paladin bond, piqued his imagination. He glanced to his friend, hesitated, then went for it._ _ _ _

____“Hey, Shiro, what were you planning on doing with your paladin bond?” It wasn’t a powerful ability, so Keith couldn’t imagine that he’d many plans for it already._ _ _ _

____“The bond?” The Black paladin’s brow creased. “Oh, I guess I was thinking of getting a horse at some point. If Coran ever stops killing me long enough that I can actually _find_ one.” That last part was said loudly, with a bit of an edge._ _ _ _

____“I merely follow the will of the dice, Shiro, nothing more!” Coran retorted, from where he was helping Allura and Pidge sort out their new items._ _ _ _

____Shiro smirked, before turning back to his friend. “Why do you ask?”_ _ _ _

____“Well I was reading that you could bond to a magical creature instead, you know, instead of a regular horse. If you did, you would get to use its saves. In addition to your own.” Keith kept his eyes on the highlighted text. “That would add some big numbers to your resist rolls.”_ _ _ _

____“Hey, yeah! Good idea, Keith. If we meet a unicorn or a kirin or something, I could try doing that. Man I could use some better saves...” Shiro winced, looking at his sheet. “Kind of wish I’d put more points in wisdom.”_ _ _ _

____The Red paladin glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to choose an actual _mount_ you know…”_ _ _ _

____“What?”_ _ _ _

____“The text states that you can activate your bond with _any_ magical creature, ‘regardless of size’, so long as it falls under the Knight category of mounts.” He tapped through some files on his datapad, pulling up a separate supplement Coran had provided for the session before. “If you look at the list of acceptable Knight mounts, you can have the usual like horses, wolves, tigers,” he continued, switching to a new tab from the Magical Creatures Compendium, “but in the Magical Creatures supplement, you have the magical additions: the unicorn, kirins, griffins…” Keith’s dark eyes flashed when he met Shiro’s, delighting in a shared secret “Dragons…” _ _ _ _

____“I don’t get… oh. Oh!” Shiro did a quick cross-check of the sections himself, excitement blooming on his face. “That’s a great idea, Keith! Hey, Coran!” he called to the Altean, who was busy helping Lance sort out what looked to be an extensive analysis of the ‘family tree’ table. Seeing Coran acknowledge him, Shiro turned back to his friend. “But how would they meet?”_ _ _ _

____Well, if he were honest about that, Keith did have something in mind already..._ _ _ _

____\-------_ _ _ _

____The Wastes were a foreboding place. Barren, desolate, incredibly dangerous; only the hardest souls dared brave it, and fewer still could stand to settle it. Shiro hadn’t seen another human in almost a week since leaving the scrappy border garrison on the edge of Algea._ _ _ _

____His mission drove him, however. This was the only lead he’d found on the demon that had attacked and burned his master’s dojo ten years ago. It didn’t matter that he had to trek through a volcanic wasteland, sleeping in old dens with his back to the wall. Relying on rations._ _ _ _

____A lesser man would have turned back ages ago. He was not a lesser man: he was a holy knight, blessed with divine strength that could carry him through even the harshest conditions. He would not turn back, even if all the monsters of the Wastes came for him at once._ _ _ _

____Word was that there were plenty of dangerous creatures lurking in the forgotten corners of the barren lands, for that matter. Though he had taken great care to avoid alerting even the basest of the wasteland’s beasts, he kept an eye to the sky as he hiked, and his ears open to the sound of scrabbling claws on the rocks. Not all of the things that lived in the Wastes were so dangerous that a holy knight had to take such precautions, but there were several that the scouts at the border garrison had taken care to warn him about:_ _ _ _

____The Scourge of the Wastes, a great, winged beast of fire and claw; exiled druids, sadistic creatures too foul even for Witch-Queen herself to stomach; and, most importantly… the _dracha_ , servants of the monster that had slain his master._ _ _ _

____All of them dangerous in their own right, even for one who walked with the blessing of the Light, such as himself. Though he had no score to settle with the druids, their evil was unquestioned, and the thought of having to avoid them to accomplish his mission gave him pause. The matter of the Scourge was another one entirely; he’d been told that the temperamental dragon was extremely territorial, no friend to man or elf, and all too easily provoked by skirmishes occurring within his borders._ _ _ _

____The one positive that the scouts had noted was that they all seemed to hate each other, and were as likely to attack one another as anything else. If he had any luck - which he, admittedly, rarely did - he could avoid attracting any attention until at least after he’d dealt with the _dracha_ leader._ _ _ _

____Perhaps something in his luck had indeed turned, for not long after his stop by a tiny, trickling stream and gulping down a handful of trail rations, he came upon the unmistakable signs of _drachma_ habitation. Broken bones with bits of flesh still clinging to them, branches twisted into ominous signs. Deep grooves in the dry earth from two-toed feet, forging a dusty trail that led dangerously far into the mountains - dragon territory. The _dracha_ was playing with fire if it thought it could avoid the Scourge’s wrath._ _ _ _

____Following the tracks and occult totems took him into the middle of a rocky valley with struggling, twisted trees. There, he found a low cave, with a circle of bone and wood twisted into diabolical shapes before it. The cave’s mouth loomed, dark, foreboding, with a hint of sulfur and smoke emanating from within._ _ _ _

____The audacity of the demons to so openly show their presence when he barely had the nerve to light even the smallest of fires at night... Shiro shook his head. All the arrogance and cruelty of the creature was no match for the courage and conviction of a true Paladin. Shiro hefted his shield, sword still sheathed, and drew breath to announce his presence._ _ _ _

____Mocking laughter cut him off before he could speak. “So, a mere human dares to challenge a _dracha_?” _ _ _ _

____Hooting laughter followed, with a stream of cavorting, cackling imps dancing out of the cave. They spread out about him, twisting their misshapen bodies into grotesque shapes. The paladin ignored them, his hand ready on his hilt._ _ _ _

____Something much larger than the pint-sized imps stepped out from the shadows, its very aura radiating ill intent. “What foolish endeavor has brought you to my lair, hero?”_ _ _ _

____The sneer to the word conveyed exactly how little he thought of the man. Good. While his oath forbade dishonorable combat, the paladin could still appreciate the advantage of being underestimated. “I’ve come for your life, demon, and that of your master.” His voice rang out, clear and unafraid. “Call him out now, and I shall spare your life.”_ _ _ _

____The lizard-faced demon laughed, clutching his malformed claws to his bulging stomach. “Hohoho,” it chortled. “As if my master has time for the likes of a human boy fresh out of swaddling clothes.” The imps simpered, mirroring the greater demon. “He’s not even here, mortal. His tasks are beyond your human ken.”_ _ _ _

____“Not here?” Shiro feigned disinterest. “So, the master has abandoned his lackeys to die while he flees with his tail between his legs?”_ _ _ _

____The _dracha_ gnashed its teeth. “Hold your tongue, slanderer! He flees nothing!” _ _ _ _

____“When he returns from Cania, you will- ack!” one of the cavorting imps chattered, before the _dracha_ ’s arm snapped out to strike. The smaller demon crumpled beneath the _dracha’s_ fist, the others cowering away from its rage. _ _ _ _

____The slip, however, was more than enough._ _ _ _

____Cania. A frozen hellscape, far from here, but not so difficult a place to find an archdemon licking his wounds. More than Shiro had even dared hoped for when he’d first heard that a servant of that monstrous creature had hidden itself in the Wastes. He threw back his cloak, drawing his greatsword._ _ _ _

____“I tell you now, hellspawn, that I am no human boy. I am a holy knight, and it shall be my hand that strikes your master down! I shall avenge my master! Both you and your lord shall rue the day you head the name Shiro Lightsworn!”_ _ _ _

____The demons snarled, but Shiro was ready. Before they could even move, he stabbed his sword into the ground, holy light surging along its length. The imps howled in agony as the consecrated land burned beneath their feet, many of them bursting into flame. The _dracha_ , however, with flesh that still reeked of Abyssal taint, merely flinched before leaping into the fray._ _ _ _

____His sword rang out when he met its attack, its claws scraping loudly across the blade. The sound of their battle echoed across the small, desolate valley, the bare trees doing nothing to stop the noise. What imps remained standing rallied to the greater demon’s side, chanting in a demonic tongue,_ _ _ _

____The _dracha_ was an able foe, matching the paladin’s blazing sword with swift claws and a brutal carelessness of its pawns. Each time Shiro thought he’d gained ground, it would snatch a screaming imp, hurling it at the human’s face and redoubling its efforts when he dodged. Even with holy might fueling his swing, he was hard-pressed by the demon’s cunning. _ _ _ _

____Eventually, his arm started to tire, the blood, the sweat of battle splattering his face and dripping down to soak the tunic under his armor. The _dracha_ stepped backwards, a line of sacrificial imps darting before it. “ _Aku. Mura-sora. Kumal aseechu,_ ” it incanted, unholy runes flaring to life about the circle. The sky took on an unnatural hue as the paladin faltered, his connection to the divine precipitously weak._ _ _ _

____“First our master slew yours, now we shall slay the apprentice.” The _dracha_ ‘s tongue flicked out, wetting its lizard-like face. “Fitting.”_ _ _ _

____Shiro rallied, hefting his sword. “Foul creatures! You shall not triumph this day!” It didn’t come out as strong as he’d hoped._ _ _ _

____Still, he fought, the blaze of holy symbols along his blade searing into demonic flesh, their raking claws caught by his armor instead of his head. His strength was flagging, however, beneath the constant onslaught of the fiends. Despite his best efforts, courage and faith were not enough to defeat them. The demons capered about, taunting him, chortling, sensing his flagging strength._ _ _ _

____His blade carved through the _dracha’s_ hand when it went for him, shearing off half its fingers and imbedding itself in the skull of an imp. _ _ _ _

____The creature howled, striking the paladin in the chest with a blow so hard he stumbled backwards, going to one knee. The blow was enough that he couldn’t maintain his connection to the Light through the unhallowed curse the demon had cast earlier._ _ _ _

____His head spun. The demons, very few now, all of them missing limbs, or burned by holy flame, started hooting once more. The _dracha_ laughed, its fiendish form silhouetted against the unnatural sky._ _ _ _

____Shiro snarled, struggling to grip his weapon. He could still fight! He fought against the weakness in his limbs, the weakness inside him where the Light felt so far away. _Please,_ he prayed, to anything that would listen. _Help me!__ _ _ _

____He heard a roar, then the flapping of great wings. Out of the darkness came a beast - a dragon - a creature of fury and fire, whose sudden attack caused blood to erupt from slashes all over the _dracha_ ’s body. _ _ _ _

_____The Scourge has come for them_ , he thought, consciousness slipping away. _Good_._ _ _ _

____Some time must have passed then, for when he woke, it was in complete darkness save for a small patch of light high above. His vision was too blurry to make out more at first, but then his head stopped aching._ _ _ _

____Fortunately, his divine health had kept his body hardy. He could feel his connection to the Light, strong as before the _dracha’s_ spell. Strength had returned to his limbs, washing fatigue away. He wished he could say the same thing for his armor, which had terrible rents in it. Still, better than being dead._ _ _ _

____The paladin rose from where he’d been lain, the light from the opening above illuminating his hair, his face. Even battered, he looked every bit the princely hero, handsome and strong, someone that could inspire the hearts of men._ _ _ _

____\------_ _ _ _

____“Come on Keith, my charisma’s not _that_ high.” Shiro’s face had a tinge of pink to it. His protest was quickly shushed, however._ _ _ _

____“Shh, no this is good! I think this is the best backstory we’ve heard at the table yet!” Pidge one hand at him distractedly, Keith still holding her attention. She’d tuned in as they’d been working it out, thrilled by Keith’s visceral description of slaughtered imps._ _ _ _

____Shiro’s brow furrowed in surprise. “Since when have you cared about backstory?”_ _ _ _

____“Since we’ve had one filled with violence and killing demons!” Shiro frowned at her, but she ignored him. “Go on, Keith!”_ _ _ _

____\------_ _ _ _

____Though it was dark outside the little square of light above him, from the rough stone beneath his feet and natural walls, it appeared that someone had taken him into a cave. He took a delicate sniff, but could smell no sulfur, no brimstone._ _ _ _

____Not the demons._ _ _ _

____He belted his scabbard, checking that his blade still slid from it. The noise echoed discomfitingly - these caves were larger than he’d thought._ _ _ _

____The paladin stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He had no torch to light his way. He thought he could perhaps discern some sort of light coming from the shadows, perhaps a bend in a corridor that led outside._ _ _ _

____He also had the feeling he was being watched._ _ _ _

____“Hello?” he called to the darkness._ _ _ _

____“You wake, human.” Whatever had answered him, its voice was definitely _not_._ _ _ _

____Well, if they’d wanted him dead, they’d have done it already. Shiro relaxed slightly. “To whom am I speaking?”_ _ _ _

____The creature took so long to respond that, for a moment, the paladin thought perhaps it had simply left._ _ _ _

____“I am Darkscale, first and only brood of great Stormfury, whose claws can touch any shadow.” Something slithered through the darkness, the rustle of scale on stone. “You stand before the Scourge of the Wastes.”_ _ _ _

____Shiro gulped._ _ _ _

____“Who are you to dare enter my territory, human?”_ _ _ _

____The paladin squared his shoulders, sweeping his cloak out. “I… am Takashi Shirogane, Lightsworn!” The small patch of light shone about him, glinting off his armor. “Holy warrior, on a righteous crusade to avenge my fallen master, and defend the innocent whenever they need!”_ _ _ _

____The Scourge was unimpressed. “I’ve killed no master of yours, paladin.” Again, there was that disconcerting movement in the dark. “And there are no innocents here. Begone from my Wastes.” The order was firm enough to brook no opposition._ _ _ _

____Still, Shiro hesitated. “You saved me.”_ _ _ _

____“I am no friend to _dracha_.”_ _ _ _

____Few were. But the Scourge could have left him in the valley, to die or not, the dragon should not have cared. The paladin took a cautious step towards the sound of the voice, hands out, non-threatening. “Are you, perchance, friend to humans?”_ _ _ _

____“I am friend to no one!” snarled the dragon. “Dragons have no friends, human. We are alone, from the time we hatch until the day some hero comes to slay us.”_ _ _ _

____“That sounds so lonely.” It slipped out before he could give it thought. The paladin spoke quickly to cover it up. “I mean - that is a great injustice! No one should be abandoned so readily. I should know, for the pain of loneliness I felt after my master was slain, and my dojo burned, and I was forced to wander the Wastes destitute, alone…”_ _ _ _

____He turned, his face lit in profile. A single tear ran down one cheek, sparkling in the light. “For years I knew only the road! Never to settle in one place, always on the hunt for the monster that had attacked my master, cruelly taking all that was good in my life so long ago!”_ _ _ _

____The human male continued on like that for some time. Handsome though the stranger was, Darkscale could not help but zone out at the sheer amount of melodrama in his backstory._ _ _ _

____Shiro was a man of many, many talents. Writing a good backstory and then conveying it toothers was not one of them._ _ _ _

____\-------_ _ _ _

____“And so you see,” Shiro said, animatedly, “that’s where my alliance with the Lord Heiromancer in High Ahtaelia led me to question the source of their arms, uncovering the underground smuggling ring that dealt with both Algean captives and the Gulrun refugees that were being used as runners for prized mithril daggers - something my fellow party member, Mechlivar, was particularly concerned with since it was her own home village that had been targeted in the deals, much to my eternal chagrin, having always admired the outstanding dwarf craftsmanship and their eternal fortitude in the face of unrelenting corruption…”_ _ _ _

____Keith had just wanted to do a little bit of introductory roleplay, and here Shiro was reading through the party’s entire mission log of notable events._ _ _ _

____He tended to get lost in the weeds. Ah well._ _ _ _

____The look on the man’s face as he related the party’s accomplishments was worth it. Some of the others at the table might not care so much for it, but there was no accounting for taste with some people. The Red paladin dutifully logged it all for reference later._ _ _ _

____The rest of the table had an air of disinterest, but Shiro either didn’t notice or didn’t care. It might have even been some combination of the two; there were times that he could get on a roll and nothing could stop him until his point was made._ _ _ _

____But, by the Goddess, could he could go on forever sometimes._ _ _ _

____Keith paused in typing things out, one hundred percent of him loving how genuine _and_ cheesy his best friend could be, while also amazed at how a man who was normally so good with words just tossed it out the window when it came to roleplay. _ _ _ _

____“Uh…” the Blade hemmed, looking to cut it short. “So, ‘torn between rage and despair, Takashi Shirogane, Lightsworn, turned to his faith for comfort and forged his own path?’”_ _ _ _

____“Oh man, that sounds so cool!” Pidge exclaimed, to Shiro’s surprise. Usually she was the hardest to get interested in flavor. “So you’re not just a preachy holy-roller, you’re actually out for revenge?”_ _ _ _

____Shiro hesitated. “Well not - I mean yeah, I guess, but it’s a-venging, not - well… I guess it’s vengeance, yeah. But I’m also helping people in the process!”_ _ _ _

____“I get it - you’re like a subversion of the lone stranger archetype, where you’re doing good as you try to track down your nemesis?” Hunk nodded sagely. “Okay yeah I can get behind that.”_ _ _ _

____The others at the table stared at him. “What?” he asked, shrugging. “I had a year of film study before the Garrison. I have more interests than food, you know!”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, I hear you’re into geology now,” Lance quipped, face sly. Hunk rounded on him, yelling that Shay was both not his girlfriend and also not a rock._ _ _ _

____Opposite the two of them, Keith noted Shiro straightening slightly, a slight uptick at the corners of his mouth. He ignored the bickering, turning to Coran instead._ _ _ _

____“So that’s about as far as we got. For how they might have met and decided to make the paladin bond. Only thing left is for you to decide if it works with the rules-as-written or not.”_ _ _ _

____Keith leaned out beside Shiro, both of them looking to their DM, who had the final say on their reading of the rules. It was his prerogative, after all._ _ _ _

____Coran stroked his mustache, tugging on one end as he thought. He had both books open,, though he hadn’t looked at either. _Probably had memorized them already _Keith thought.___ _ _ _

______‘Technically, you _are_ half-dragon…” he mulled, in a tone that everyone knew meant he was going to say yes. The Black and Red paladins grinned at each other. Shiro pulled up what Keith had typed into his datapad, sending it to Coran. _ _ _ _ _ _

______“Keith and I already worked out some possible quest leads from our backstories too. I think you’d like it Coran, it has a lot of potential for real drama!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Drama?” The mustachioed man arched a brow, interest piqued, but was cut off._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What!” Lance rolled up from where he’d been lounging. “C’mon Coran, Keith can’t be a player AND a mount!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith crossed his arms. “I don’t see why not. You’re a ninja, and that’s not even a class.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lance sputtered. “Hey - don’t make this about me! I’m playing a modified rogue with better flavor! You’re playing a half-dragon barbarian, _half_ -dragon! Neither of those things are supposed to be mounts.” He looked about the table for support. “Come on guys, this is clearly an exploit!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“No, no, I can picture it,” Hunk replied, holding his hands up to frame the two older paladins. “Seems like a nonissue to me.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hunk!” the Blue paladin groused, gesticulating wildly. “That means that Keith gets all the bonuses the mount gets, for free!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What, like that Shiro can cast spells on him at range instead of touch?” Pidge snorted._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Or that Shiro can always understand him, regardless of language?” Hunk followed._ _ _ _ _ _

______Allura, radiant as ever, hid her mouth behind a flawless hand. “That’s not exactly different from how things are right now.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith shot her a dagger-glare. Allura giggled, only the slightest hint of apology in her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m serious here!” The Blue paladin scowled, put off by whatever he thought had passed between the two._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well it’d be no different than if Shiro had a horse that tagged along.” Allura observed. Pidge pushed up her glasses in agreement._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Good point, Allura. You know, it’d actually even save on our action economy during fights since Shiro wouldn’t have to control a mount during his turn.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lance’s lower lip jutted out a moment, before he gave up in light of how petty it seemed. “Well fine, I guess that settles it then!” He thrust out an admonishing finger. “But Shiro has to mount him first!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Beside Keith, Shiro stifled a laugh._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You really want to see Shiro ride me, Lance?” the Red paladin asked, voice surprisingly light. “Well, we didn’t buy any saddles, so it’ll have to be bareback.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“KEITH.” Shiro, red-faced, mouth twisted into an unusual shape, seemed to have lost his usual aplomb. The Blade ducked his head, feigning contriteness, though he made no effort to hide his little grin. Shiro studiously ignored it, one side of his mouth quirking up. “We’re bonded. Let’s just get on with the quest at hand.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Wait a tick now, it’s not as simple as that!” Coran interjected, “Shiro still has to roll to see if it’s a successful Bond!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lance scoffed. “Big deal, it’s Keith! Shiro could crit-fail and _still_ succeed at the bond!” _ _ _ _ _ _

______“Now now, Lance, this isn’t a matter of real world friendship. What happens next depends on their characters in the game, who don’t know each other! It is going to be a formidable test of Shiro’s paladin abilities to convince a dragon to accept the bond!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Coran looked to Shiro expectantly, who grimaced. His relationship to his dice was not a strong one. There were some things that even a Galaxy Garrison legend couldn’t master._ _ _ _ _ _

______Shiro gave his die a roll anyway, tensing - only to let out a small puff of air. “Well. Whaddya know.” He held up the result for everyone to see “Nat Twenty.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Oh, a critical success then!” the Altean cheered, in his nasally voice. “Well, this calls for something special!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Is this a Shiro first?” Pidge teased, looking so much like her brother that for a moment both of the older ex-Garrison students were taken aback._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Not my only first, but practically so,” Shiro responded, sheepish._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Tell you what - in light of this momentous occasion,” Coran pronounced, smoothing his mustache for flair, “I’m going to say that you don’t just complete the paladin bond; you achieve a new level of it! One that’s rare and usually reserved only for masters of the class.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Aha!” the two whooped, Keith nailing Shiro’s proffered high five. The Black paladin leaned his elbows on the table, eager. “What does that mean?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hm.” Coran paused for a moment, mulling things over before his face lit up. “How about we consider this a level 3 bond, per the table on page 56, detailing magical and enchanted companions?” He scrolled through the new edition’s pages with precision, flipping his tablet around for the two of them once he found it. “It’s meant for non-player companions, but the rules are always a little wibbly when it comes to crossbreeds.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Keith read the section for himself, increasingly intrigued by the promise in the idea. _The connection that first drew you and your companion together has sparked into something new. This is a sign of a deep and meaningful relationship with this companion. Whether they’re lifemate or friend, the companion has decided to stay by your side til the end.__ _ _ _ _ _

______It wasn’t often that he got taken in by a slight choice of words or polite turn of phrase, but the wording of that bit… spoke to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Look, Keith! This is even better than the base bond!” Shiro said, tapping his arm with the back of his hand for attention.. “‘Empathic Link: no matter the distance, the paladin and his bonded companion can sense each other’s surface thoughts and strong emotions.’ Neat! Could use something like that in real life, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Would make rescuing you a whole lot easier.” The wry note to his voice got a chuckle from the man._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Here I was thinking it’d be useful in a strategic way but yeah, _sure_ ,” Shiro retorted, elbowing the Blade in his side. _ _ _ _ _ _

______He didn’t pull all the way back to where he’d been sitting before. His side was close enough that Keith could feel his body heat, could fill his nose with the man’s scent - that mix of clean and masculine - with even slight inhales._ _ _ _ _ _

______Coran launched into a recap of the party’s latest activities, but he was too distracted to care. His thoughts kept drifting back to the story of how their characters might have met, fiddling with that text from the bond level 3. _A connection that has sparked into something new, huh_..._ _ _ _ _ _

______\-------_ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some gameplay, some other stuff!

In all worlds, across all races, regardless of creed, there are those whose lives are inextricably bound. For some, the tie is only realized after years of shared growth: for others, it is that single, chance encounter. Sometimes it is enough, in the moment, and they part to reunite years later, both changed, and yet inevitably crossing paths once more. 

As a paladin, Takashi Shirogane had always been able to understand the threads that brought people together. His was a wisdom beyond his years, augmented by prayer, and honed in meditation. Half of the quests he’d undertaken during his years of travel had simply been mediating feuds between houses, resolving tensions between angry villagers and whatever had encroached on their lands. He was adept at recognizing when two people were brought together by forces greater than themselves, be it as friend or foe, and cutting to the core of the dispute. 

And yet, he had always struggled with his own relationships, be they friend _or_ foe. 

Perhaps that was why he was to die such an ignoble death, some part of him thought, blearily. Prey to a _dracha’s_ curse. Carried off to be devoured by a dragon on some god-forsaken peak. He made the mistake of letting his head roll down to catch sight of the ground passing by at great speed below him. 

His stomach churned. Death couldn’t come quickly enough. 

Grimacing, he clenched his eyes shut and, to his relief, felt that pull towards unconsciousness once again. He let it take him, gladly. 

Some time must have passed then, for when he woke, it was in complete darkness, save for a small patch of light high above. His vision was too blurry to make out more at first, but then his head stopped aching.

Fortunately, his divine health had kept his body hardy. He could feel his connection to the Light, strong as before the _dracha’s_ spell. Strength had returned to his limbs, washing fatigue away. He sat up, rubbing a hand against his face - and paused. 

No dirt, no grime from his week traversing the dry Wastes dotted his arms. He tucked his nose down to his undertunic, taking a whiff. The most he’d managed even when finding water had been to sponge himself in choice areas. All he smelled now, however, was just himself. Someone had tended to him.

He glanced about, relieved to find his armor piled neatly beside the stone slab he’d been placed on. Whoever had tended to him left him in his leggings and tunic, and apparently used his cloak as a pillow. The paladin stood, stiffly pulling on his gear. His body had been made whole. He wished he could say the same thing for his armor, which had terrible rents in it. Still, better than being dead.

The paladin rose from where he’d been lain, the light from the opening above illuminating his hair, his face. Even battered, he looked every bit the princely hero, handsome and strong, someone that could inspire the hearts of men. 

His surrounding did little to alleviate his confusion. Though it was dark outside the little square of light above him, from the rough stone beneath his feet and natural walls, it appeared that someone had taken him into a cave. He took a delicate sniff, but could smell no sulfur, no brimstone. 

Not the demons.

He belted his scabbard, checking that his blade still slid from it. The noise echoed discomfitingly - these caves were larger than he’d thought. 

The paladin stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He had no torch to light his way. He thought he could perhaps discern some sort of light coming from the shadows, perhaps a bend in a corridor that led outside. 

He also had the feeling he was being watched.

“Hello?” he called to the darkness.

“You wake, human.” Whatever had answered him, its voice was definitely _not_.

Well, if they’d wanted him dead, they’d have done it already. Shiro relaxed slightly. “To whom am I speaking?” 

The creature took so long to respond that, for a moment, the paladin thought perhaps it had simply left.

“I am Darkscale, first and only brood of the great Stormfury, whose claws can touch any shadow.” Something slithered through the darkness, the rustle of scale on stone. “You stand before the Scourge of the Wastes.”

Shiro gulped.

“Who are you to dare enter my territory, human?”

The paladin squared his shoulders, sweeping his cloak out. “I… am Takashi Shirogane, Lightsworn!” The small patch of light shone about him, glinting off his armor. “Holy warrior, on a righteous crusade to avenge my fallen master, and defend the innocent whenever they need!”

The Scourge was unimpressed. “I’ve killed no master of yours, paladin.” Again, there was that disconcerting movement in the dark. “And there are no innocents here. Begone from my Wastes.” 

The order was firm enough to brook no opposition.

Still, Shiro hesitated. “You saved me.” 

Though he couldn’t see, he got the impression the creature shrugged. “I am no friend to _dracha_.”

Few were. But the Scourge could have left him in the valley, to die or not, the dragon should not have cared. The paladin took a cautious step towards the sound of the voice, hands out, non-threatening. “Are you, perchance, friend to humans?”

“I am friend to no one!” snapped the dragon. “Dragons have no friends, human. We are alone, from the time we hatch until the day some hero comes to slay us.” 

“That sounds so lonely.” It slipped out before he could give it thought. The paladin spoke quickly to cover it up. “I mean - that is a great injustice! No one should be abandoned so readily. I should know, for the pain of loneliness I felt after my master was slain, and my dojo burned, and I was forced to wander the Wastes destitute, alone…” 

He turned, his face lit in profile. A single tear ran down one cheek, sparkling in the light. “For years I knew only the road! Never to settle in one place, always on the hunt for the monster that had attacked my master, cruelly taking all that was good in my life so long ago!” 

“My heart bleeds.” The reply was pitiless. “Leave.”

“Wait!” the paladin called, deflating, though only slightly. He hesitated. “You could have left me there.” Of all beings in the Wastes, getting rescued by the draconic terror he’d spent the last five days avoided was the last thing he’d expect. “Why did you help me?” 

There was no response.

Shiro waited for something from that voice in the darkness. Nothing came, not even when the silence stretched into minutes.

If it had a reason, the Scourge was not going to share it with him.

“Thank you. For saving my life,” he said finally, turning to head towards that faint light.

“You’re welcome.” 

Something in the paladin, some lightning-flash of insight made him pause. He turned back to the indistinct form in the darkness. “I think you’re a better person than you want people to believe.” Someone had tended to him. Had taken out of the dangers of the Wastes, kept him safe until he woke. Shiro saluted, fist over his heart. “You can count me as a friend, Darkscale.”

He made to leave when the voice called out again. “Wait.” That clack of claws on stone echoed through the cave as something moved closer. “Why did you, by yourself, attack a _dracha_?” 

Shiro drew breath to speak, but the dragon cut him off. “In brief.”

His shoulders slumped with his exhalation, though he rallied quickly enough. He held his head high. “It served the leviathan demon that killed my master.” The paladin bowed his head in memory. “I needed information on its whereabouts if I am to ever avenge him.”

“You are just one small man to be facing such a creature alone.”

The voice was much closer than before. “Sometimes there’s just something you have to do, regardless of the odds.” Shiro clasped the hilt of his sword, the blade, his armor, his very connection to the Light all a reminder of what the man had taught him. He smiled, wryly, at the futility of needing to explain that kind of loyalty to a species as forlorn as the Scourge had described itself. “A dragon might not have that problem, though.” 

Those claws - and something more sinister, the sound of scales slithering - were before him now, cutting between him and the corridor out. Wary, the paladin backed up a step, but they kept creeping closer, matching his own pace, until his butt bumped into the stone table he’d been lain on earlier. 

He could finally see something of the creature; its long black talons, glinting razor-sharp in the small patch of light, tapped at the edges. 

“I meant no offense,” Shiro said softly.

“None was taken.” The owner of said claws slid out from the shadows, its face predatory, dangerous - and terrifyingly human. 

At least, far more human than Shiro had ever expected; tales of the Scourge had named it a man-drake - a half-man, a creature formed of some unholy union between dragon and human - so the paladin had expected some metallic creature covered in claw and scale, not the… very human-looking young man, on the pretty side of handsome, that stood cloaked in shadow before him now. 

Scales covered part of his face and chest, the rest having the appearance of mostly flesh, while his digitigrade limbs were covered completely in shimmering red scales: a red so dark it was almost black. 

Then the rest of the creature slunk out of the darkness; arms that ended in brutal claws, great membranous wings that arced overhead; long, curving horns arcing out from the man-drake’s head. Though the Scourge’s body was surprisingly small, narrow, and roughly of a height with the human himself, it moved with the grace of a hunter, of a foe completely at ease in its home element. All signs Shiro had long ago learned to associate with his most formidable opponents. 

Darkscale’s tail snapped behind him, his bat-like wings partially extended, enhancing the contrast between his delicate face and the monstrosity of the rest of him. He was nude and unrepentant, and all the more fearsome for it.

Shiro struggled against the urge to let his eyes flick down from the dragon’s face, slipping only once - where he got an eyeful of the bulge between the half-breed’s legs, full enough to convey the threat of what hid inside with only a promise. 

The paladin gulped, yanking his gaze back up. He _really_ didn’t need to have a thought like that in his head at the moment. 

The Scourge’s pretty face, even lined by scales about the edges, didn’t make things any better. Just different, in a more unnerving way. Particularly when its mouth parted just enough to reveal a row of the deadliest fangs Shiro had ever seen. 

“You don’t look like most dragons.” It came out squeakier than he’d intended.

Darkscale regarded him. “Half-dragon.” It - he - stepped close enough that Shiro could see that his eyes had no sclera, just what seemed to be a second, darker row of violet iris. “My father was human.”

The man-drake stepped forward in such a way that Shiro’s gaze was drawn down once more, to the almost artfully sharp lines of Darkscale’s taut abdomen, the glitter of red-black scales along his pecs, before going back to that intense, pale face. 

Instinctively, he cocked a grin. “He must have been one handsome man.” 

It slipped out before he could stop himself. Before he could brace himself for the dragon’s wrath, however, he got an unexpected lightening of the man-drake’s dark expression. 

“Sometimes a dragon can relate.” The Scourge of the Wastes paced to the side. “More than any human could know.”

Lost, Shiro needed a second to recollect the previous thread. Darkscale’s talons clicked as he sidled over to a rocky outcropping, leaning against it. He waved one of his gruesomely clawed hands at the rock the human had woken up on. 

He sat. The half-dragon continued to scrutinize him. 

“What will you do now?”

The paladin shrugged a shoulder. “The _dracha_ let slip that its master has fled to Cania.”

“Cania.” The dragon appraised him, tail lashing. “That’s a long ways away.” 

It was. The journey toward that northern hell could take months, and was doubtlessly full of danger. Shiro just nodded.

“Are you going alone?”

Again, he had no response. The paladin gave a half-hearted shrug, feeling quite small beneath the man-drake’s scrutiny. “What choice do I have?”

Those big, violet eyes, devoid of sclera, seemed to drink all of him in without giving anything back. “I could go with you.” 

Shiro started. “No - no I couldn’t ask you to-,” he began, but was cut off.

“I save your life, and the first thing you do is deny me?”

“I - no!” His arms fell to his sides. 

Darkscale nodded, as if the decision was final. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“Look. I’m a paladin. I can’t accept - I mean…” Shiro exhaled sharply, crossing his arms beneath his chest. “Why would you even want to go with me?”

“You said we were friends, Takashi Shirogane.” The dragon’s stare was disconcerting. “Don’t friends look out for each other?”

Shiro’s mouth worked, once, twice, before he took another deep breath. He cast about for some way to refute the man-drake’s logic, but between the weight of that violet scrutiny and the seeming inevitability of his resignation, he was hard-pressed to come up with a satisfactory response. 

Eventually, he realized he was just going to have to give in. He proffered a smile, part of him already warming to the idea. 

“My friends call me Shiro.”

\--------

“Come on, Shiro! You can do it!” Lance encouraged. 

Keith looked up from the quick scene he’d been sketching, where their leader’s gamepiece was currently facing off with a mighty kluzzgul four times their level. 

“Shiro, I swear by the Space Goddess, if you don’t make this save -,” Allura threatened, trailing off. She gnawed her lip. Her own elf ranger was lying unconscious behind him, having knocked herself out in order to avoid possession. 

Everyone else had either foiled or passed the check to resist the creature’s mental domination. Keith had been informed it was apparently a recurring villain that Coran liked to throw at them, rarely staying long enough for an actual fight, but always showing up just when the party had faced a few particularly tough battles and were low on resources. 

Pidge, being a dwarf, and Lance, being a ninja, had used their racial and class bonuses to shirk the kluzzgul’s attempts with ease. In fact, Pidge had blown two potions of rage and was valiantly hacking through one of its six limbs, hellbent on making the creature pay with pounds of flesh this time. “What are you doing, Lance?” she snapped. “Help me cut this thing off before it disappears again!”

“I can’t! I popped my evasion, Pidge, if I come out of stealth it could try to dominate me again!” 

Darkscale had made the save on his own, thanks to barbarian rage boosting his saves versus mental coercion. That just left their phenomenal paladin, a greatsword-wielding tank who could make their lives a living hell if they had to beat him unconscious now. 

The Black Paladin, former gladiator Champion, closed his eyes. He brought his fist up, took a deep breath, and the d20 fall. It clattered across the table, bumping off one of the edges, to land on a six. 

Everyone groaned. They’d seen Shiro fail enough saving throws to know that his measly plus four to Will wasn’t going to do anything. 

“Wait!” Shiro called, “wait!” He did a quick tally. “Keith’s within thirty feet of me, right? That means I get the full bonus from the bond!”

Coran looked to the spaces lining the board. He nodded. 

“That’s a plus eight! I got an eighteen! I made the DC!” Shiro flung both arms up, his friends - even Coran - catching his excitement. 

“Yeah!” Pidge cheered. “Woohoo!” Lance whooped, high-fiving her. He grabbed the kluzzgul game piece, hurling it from the board. “In your face, Garglemax! No vessel for you to control today!”

Collapsing, Shiro tossed his head back in relief. He grinned. “You guys, I just want to take this moment to acknowledge the fact that I have resisted _three_ mind control effects today!”

“Oh no! Is this the end of us discovering Shiro’s long-lost brothers?” Hunk wailed, dragging his hands down his cheeks.

The table laughed. Coran gave a run-down of the loot, how much experience they’d gained, and then announced it was time for a break. Lance was first over the couch, having drank almost as many beverages as Pidge, but his long legs could carry him faster. Pidge hollered at him as he outpaced her, threatening dire retribution if he took the bathroom first. 

The Black paladin watched them go, amused, before turning to the Altean . “So. Coran. About that blazing sword..”

“Blazing sword?” “Oh, right! The sword I promised you.” “Hmm, I think if the party heads back into Belmarton, you could search for an artificer to craft you one.”

“Back into Belmarton? Coran we just spent three encounters trying to get _away_ from there.” 

“I’m sorry Shiro, but I can’t just hand you a blazing sword in the middle of the wilderness!” “Wait a tic! Keith, you took the Hoard feat right?” “Why don’t we just say that whatever the cost of the sword from that? We’ll just say it was a part of his hoard in the first place and skip the whole forging issue. If that’s alright with Keith.” “Ah, excuse me while I run to the little Altean room myself!” 

“Hey, Shiro?” Keith asked, as their DM left. 

The man rounded to face him, glee written on his face. “Hey, Keith.”

“No.”

“What! Come on!” Shiro dropped his head onto his hand, working up to his most charming self. “Are you really gonna make me break out the big guns after I just charmed a faerie queen into letting us pass earlier?”

“Hm.” Keith pretended to consider it, rubbing his chin. “Yes.”

Pout flashing, Shiro snatched his dice from the table. “Fine!” He threw a d20, flashing the Red paladin a jaunty grin at the result. “Oh, look at that - diplomacy: sixteen. Plus thirty-two, from all my amazing bonuses... Lets see, can you oppose a forty-eight?” 

“Diplomacy doesn’t work on other players unless they allow it to.” Keith’s little smirk was far wider than it had any right to be.

“Come onnnn,” his friend whined, leaning closer, arms folded on the table. It made his pecs bulge in his tight vest. “Maybe you want it to, just this once?”

Breath hitching, Keith conceded. A little. “Okay. Convince me.”

“What!”

“You’re playing this big, handsome, muscly hunk, right?” His big, dark eyes flashed, a hint of his hunger showing, but only for a moment. “How does he convince me?”

Shiro pondered. “It’d be the same way he convinced Darkscale to bond with him.” He schooled his face into a pretty moue, his voice sugar-sweet. “First, I batted my pretty eyes and then I said, ‘Oh great and wondrous dragon-”

“Who’s saved your life.”

“‘Who’s saved my life - spare your loyal friend a pittance of gold from your treasure hoard?’”

Keith scoffed. “You want twenty-two thousand gold from my hoard! That’s it?”

“Well what more do you want me to do?” Shiro held up his datapad, showing how his character had no money, poor equipment, and little else. “I have nothing! What can I do, strip? I’m a paladin!” 

Actually, a striptease would have him melting in his hands. Shiro could ask for the world after that and he’d see that it happened. Keith’s eyes slid to the side, watching his friend’s shirt ride up as he stretched from the corner of his eye.

“Call me ‘daddy’.” 

Shiro huffed, bringing his arms down to tug his vest back down. He seemed at a loss for words, cheeks pinking, before he rallied. “I am the leader of Voltron, I dedicate my life to bringing peace to the universe, and all I want to do is play an M&M game with my _best friend_ , who I haven’t _seen_ for a month, and all he wants to do is give me NONSTOP GRIEF!” He attacked the Blade, his big hands deftly going for those points that could make Keith writhe. 

The Red paladin tried to hold out, but Shiro used his greater weight to pin him face-down on the lounge sofa. “Fine, fine!” Keith struggled, laughing. “You can have the gold!”

Shiro let up, straightening himself out once more before grabbing his datapad to enter that in.   
“Thanks,” he said primly, having never had any doubt. Then it was his turn to be sly. “Daddy.”

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys ever think about how paladins have Divine Health, meaning they're immune to disease? and how Shiro, a guy suffering from chronic illness, only wants to play pallies? I think about that sometimes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Appetites are sated. Human AND Draconic, both.

\--------

The caverns of Darkscale’s home were labyrinthine, myriad in their form, and a wonderful retreat for the human after his time in the Wastes. He hadn’t realized what a reprieve it was to be out of the constant, stinging grit that came with the wind, or do a full soak in water that didn’t taste brackish and barely came up to his ankle; the dragon had shown him to a shallow underground lake, lit by fluorescent algae. It quickly became Shiro’s favorite place between excursions out into the barren wasteland, making sure that no sign of the _dracha_ or its followers remained.

At present the paladin stood at the edge of the softly glowing waters, nude save for the thin wrap tied about his hips. His feet shifted as he moved through a set of swordsman stances, his eyes fixed on the fiery greatsword in his hands. 

“I can’t believe you had an actual _blazing sword_ just lying around!” he exclaimed, twirling to strike an imaginary foe. Darkscale, reclining on a long, high, fallen pillar, followed his every move, not blinking. Shiro glanced over at the half-dragon, no longer so disconcerted by his intense stare. “I mean, I guess you probably don’t really need it.” 

The last time they’d gone out together. They’d bumped into one of the vile druids, a twisted thing of hate and bitter evil. The human had been treated to a firsthand, all-too-conscious view of the man-drake’s berserker rage when provoked. He changed stances again, his thighs, his arms pure sculpted muscle in motion. He could not believe how easy the great blade was to lift, much less how its speed. “You’re sure I can just have it? The swing on this is incredible! Whoops!” 

Flushing, he snatched the wrap from the ground, glancing up to see the half-dragon’s big, violet eyes still on him. His cheeks heated. “Sorry,”

Darkscale’s head cocked minutely. “For what?

Shiro blinked, mid-tie. He drew a breath. “For - you know what? Nevermind.”

It wasn’t like the dragon ever wore clothes. For all he knew, maybe it was more offensive to _not_ be naked.

Still, he turned away as he straightened the wrap. The dragon’s stare felt like it was boring into the back of his neck. “I - I’ll pay you back for the sword,” he said, feeling self-conscious. “I don’t have the money now, but whatever I earn I’ll-”

He cut off when he saw the Scourge’s claw flick dismissively from the corner of his eye. 

“What use have I for a sword?” the dragon asked. “My claws are sharper. My flame hotter. If the blade pleases you, it is enough.” He paused, long enough for the added, “Friend.” to sound like a challenge.

Wisely, Shiro conceded, not about to raise further issue with the dragon’s generosity. Maybe it was just having had to face so many battles on his own for so long, but having someone else actually _helping_ was both.. He let that train of thought trail off.

“If we’re going to chase a leviathan demon, we’re going to need to do something about how easily a _dracha_ cursed you.” The Scourge rolled up, swinging his red-scaled, digitigrade legs off the pillar. “I saw the whole fight, you know.”

Shiro flushed again, for different reasons than before. “It was one time, and the thing got lucky!

“I’ve never heard of any other paladins losing their divine connection because of an unhallow spell.”

“It’s not impossible!” the human protested, running his free hand through his wet black hair. Even to himself, that excuse sounded weak. He scowled, most of his ire aimed at himself. “I’ve always… struggled... with that aspect. My training wasn’t… complete, when my master died.”

“Is there nothing you can do to fix it?” Darkscale asked, without a hint of reproach in his voice. His eyes remained fixed on the human. Shiro was pretty sure he had yet to look away once, the whole time they’d been down here. “In the story of Trigel, she could resist even an incubus’s temptation.”

The human silently scoffed, hefting the blazing sword once again. “Trigel had a dragon protecting her.” 

“I’m a dragon.”

“No - I mean,” Shiro stammered, scrambling for words that keep this from getting awkward. He gestured vaguely. “They were part of a special ritual that bonded them together!” He brought the sword down in a two-handed arc. 

“Could you do this ritual?”

Shiro nodded, mulling it over. It was a fair question. “Yeah. I actually need to do it at some point, if I can find a good mount.” Rare was the holy knight that could succeed without the aid of a trusty steed.

The _clack_ of the dragon’s claws got his attention. Darkscale was sauntering towards him, with that low-hipped stride that had the man-drake’s bulge jut obscenely. 

“So why not do it with me?” the Scourge asked, close enough that the human had to wrench his gaze up from the promise of what he’d find were he to explore wait lay sheathed between the man-drake’s legs. 

He wet his lips, pinned by that violet stare. “Because it’s not - with dragons, it’s different.”

“Different how?”

Shiro’s hands mirrored his words - pauses and all - as he struggled to explain. “With animals, it’s like having an intense connection to a good pet. If I do it with another sentient creature, it…” His cheeks heated. “It’s like we’re lovers.”

“Would that be so bad?” 

Darkscale’s tone was so blaise that it took a moment for the human to register what he’d asked. The paladin choked, suddenly all too aware of how close the half-dragon stood to him, how near that pretty, fanged little mouth was to his own. His own body had paralyzed him, seizing on those forbidden thoughts he’d been carefully distancing himself from each time the half-dragon had approached him,his taught body constantly on full display. 

And if he was honest… his eyes raked over the half-dragon’s shadow-clad form. 

The Scourge was nearly of a height with himself, though far more narrow - while muscled, his body was slim-built, with long, wiry limbs. His chest had no fat, no weight to it, with small, narrow pecs and hard nipples. Even though he wasn’t as defined as Shiro, the paladin had no doubt he would definitely be able to do more than hold his own in a contest of strength.

Because he was only human, his gaze had gone to the half-dragon’s surprisingly well-formed butt no few number of times. He’d expected it to be all hard scales, like the rest of the Scourge’s digitigrade legs, but it was clearly flesh. Firm, human, save for the long, armor-scaled tail that hung over it. A tail that swayed as he walked, though not quite enough to tell if it was from the half-dragon’s stride or because it was twitching from some other factor. 

But at present it was that great bulge that captivated him, looking out of place on that tight navel, lined with corded muscle and framed by dark-red scales. 

Unbidden, the thought of dipping his tongue into the slit splitting it crossed his mind. His breath quickened. .

Darkscale was staring at him. Shiro flushed.

“Do you not find me attractive?” the dragon pressed. He was close enough that the man could catch a whiff of the smoke that always lingered in the man-drake’s own thick black hair. The Scourge pulled himself to his full height, his lips perilously close to the trembling human’s. “I know you do. I can smell it on you.”

“Oh, fuck,” Shiro breathed, the thought of tasting that mouth, that tongue, of crushing that lithe, draconic body to his own overwhelming him. 

Those violet eyes, devoid of sclera, were all he could see. “Do you want me to?” 

He whimpered. Then their mouths pressed together, the paladin’s arms fumbling for grip beneath Darkscale’s wings even as the dragon battled his tongue for dominance. 

The man-drake was hot, like a furnace, both in the narrow frame that pressed to the human’s big, bare chest and in the quick, nimble mouth that nipped at his lips. Shiro tried to rally, but Darkscale kept interrupting his thoughts with each new, toe-curling kiss. 

When he finally did muster the willpower to pull away, it came at the cost 

“Darkscale, there’s more than - more to it than I think you realize,” Shiro stuttered, shifting his weight so that the fat head of his cock wasn’t pressing against quite such an intimate place. He tried to catch his breath, holding the smaller man-drake at bay. “If we do this, it’s not just exchanging vows. I’ll be able to sense you, feel you, in my head. You will too.”

Darkscale seemed amused. He pressed forward, the paladin’s strong arms putting up a very weak defense. “Right now, I can smell your arousal when you fool yourself into thinking you can hide it. I hear it when your breath quickens at night.” One clawed hand palmed the human’s stiffening rod for emphasis, bringing it to full tumescence before he suddenly thrust his hips upwards, grinding his sheath against the human’s hard cock in such a way that a good length of his draconic penis slid out. 

The quavering note at the end of Shiro’s moan said more about what he felt at the sight than words ever could. He locked eyes with the half-dragon, lids heavy, mouth parted, grinding his cock against the smooth, unbelievable warmth of Darkscale’s shaft. 

“Am I such an open book to you?” he countered.

Darkscale said nothing, holding the paladin’s gaze even as they frotted. He stretched upwards, at last bringing his mouth back to ply more kisses from the taller man. “Would it be any different with the bond?”

 _No_ Shiro conceded, overwhelmed by the press of that shockingly warm body to his skin, the feel of flesh and scale moving against him, the slide of that great, inhuman length moving along his own. The dragon’s exploration of his body became more intense, with bites and kisses to his neck, his pecs, his stomach, before quickly turning into quick, excited mouthing of his nearly twelve-inch rod. 

It was the man-drake’s mouth closing about the meaty head, tongue curling about the underside, that had Shiro rocking back on his heels, legs trembling. The human had a vague memory of forcing Darkscale back to full height and _devouring_ his mouth, his hands burying themselves in the half-dragon’s thick, black locks before clutching at his shoulders, his back, his pert bottom. Next thing he knew, they’d left the underground lake and were before Darkscale’s sleep-cave, his mouth tired from kissing, both of them breathless, and their dicks rock-hard.

Darkscale trotted ahead on his digitigrade legs, fully erect, his red-scaled tail lashing. He shook the two big, suspended bottles of fluorescent algae he’d added for the darkvision-less human’s benefit, casting a pale blue light across the room. 

“How do we do this?” the half-dragon asked, turning at the waist. Shiro’s cock strained at the sight of both his tight cheeks and mighty rod on display. 

Fumbling for an element of coherent thought, the paladin stepped forward, mumbling the prayer for bonding as he did so. His tongue was swollen with want, so it took him a couple attempts to get it right, but golden light flashed from his eyes. A holy rune appeared on his palm. “You need only take my hand.” Shiro wet his lips, desire consuming his core. “The spell should do the rest.”

Those big, violet eyes considering him for a moment, the Scourge almost seemed to hesitate for a second before placing his clawed fingers in Shiro’s hand. 

The effect was immediate, dashing concern from the human’s mind and flooding it with _hunger_. The dragon wanted him, wanted his mouth, his hands, his pecs, wanted to sink teeth into his thighs, wanted to feel his length down his throat. The paladin fell to his knees before the mandrake, the urge to take as much of the half-breed’s manhood into his mouth as possible overwhelming him. 

“Wha- Shiro!” Darkscale exclaimed, as the paladin laved his tongue down the Scourge’s great, drooling shaft. 

“F-fear not, Darkscale!” Shiro commanded, with far more bravado than he actually felt. His jaw trembled as he pressed his face to the half-dragon’s strange, warm slit, his body trembling at the realization that there was still more inside. “This is-this is all part of the - it’s part of the bond!”

“Holy fuck,” Darkscale breathed, body tense, but making no move to push the human away - not even when he felt the man’s tongue steal in to swipe at the base of his shaft. “Are you - are you sure you’re doing this right?”

In all honesty, he hadn’t done this before, not with a sentient creature, and he certainly was not prepared for the endless feedback of desire that seemed to pour off his companion. Desire, lust, a blazing passion that Shiro was half-afraid to look at for what it might awaken inside himself. Already 

“I-,” he began, swallowing, “I warned you that it was different with dragons!” _It only works when done with love_ , his master had said, the one time Shiro had asked why a bonds with magical creatures were so different. _One who can feel the connection between your hearts…_ Part of him found it hard to believe this was about a red string of fate and not just his desire to gag himself on one of the most impressive pieces of manhood he had ever seen, but also, part of him felt it was _right_. “I just didn’t know he meant like this!” Shiro murmured, mostly for himself.

A moment of clarity came to him then, between his eager explorations of the dragon’s shaft. Words arose in his head, conjured ubidden from whatever dusty corners of his mind he’d stashed his knowledge of the bonding spell. Part of him feared speaking them, feared what would happen if the bond were completed. The desire to feel the man-drake buried in his throat was nearly overwhelming, and only fractionally his own: the blazing lust fueled mostly by Darkscale’s wishes, telegraphed into his head by what pieces of the bond they’d joined already. 

If they went further, it would end with himself being consumed, some small voice in his head warned, but it was quickly discarded when he heard the half-dragon moan: a full, throaty sound, accompanied by the palm of a hand stroking his hair, the side of his face. 

“Shiro,” the Scourge murmured, mouth tight, his aura of command belied by the pleading thrust of his dick against the paladin’s kiss-bruised lips. Shiro smirked. 

“Do not worry, Darkscale!” He forced the dragon’s rocking hips to still with his hands, his tongue tasting the beads of pre-cum that swelled at the tip. “I am here, to be with you,” he breathed, “to take all that you are...” The paladin pushed slit with a thumb to either side, a shudder running through the man-drake’s body as the sac of his testes popped out. Shiro’s eyes burned with inner fire. He lavished both heavy orbs with attention, captivated by the vastly different textures in each fold of skin: rough, leathery around the slit, soft and pliant once inside, and then smooth as feather down on the sac itself. After his fill, he let them fall from his mouth, wet and shining in the pale light. “Into myself,” he finished, “so that we may be as one.”

The glowing, golden light on his hand pulsed. The needs of the spell guided his tongue, his thoughts, as his lips trailed up the side of Darkscale’s seed-drenched shaft. “Do you accept me, Son of Stormfury?” he asked, teasing the tip of the half-dragon’s cock with his breath. 

“For fuck’s sake! _Yes_!” the Scourge snarled, flashing fang.

Shiro let his lips part, sliding easily over the delightfully inhuman glans. The taste of the dragon’s seed lingered on his tongue with each ridge that passed over it, until he had a fair amount of the Scourge’s length trapped in his throat. He hung there as long as he could, the man-drake palming the back of the man’s head with one hand as his legs trembled. Shiro pulled back for breath, smacking his lips when it popped free.

Seeing Darkscale’s head lolling, those intense, violet eyes finally clouded over, sent a trill straight through the paladin’s spine to his nuts. “Are you still with me?” he asked, sliding the half-dragon’s enormous shaft across his nose. His tongue went back to working the dragon’s balls, sucking on whatever tender skin he could dig out. Darkscale whimpered, spread his legs further, and did something to make both testicles pop completely free. 

The paladin took that as a sign of assent, a sign further emphasized by a fresh flow of seed from the man-drake’s straining cock. Shiro mouthed at it, resting the Scourge’s cum on his tongue for a moment as he considered the dragon’s shaft.

The tangy, almost electric, hint of flavor to the half-breed’s shaft aside, it wasn’t unlike sucking off a human. His scaled thighs still trembled when the paladin nibbled his lips on the silky underside of the head, his plump balls still quivered and tightened when he mouthed them. Were it not for the ribs along the shaft and the oblong glans, with his eyes closed… he could feel the man-drake tremble, same as any man he’d claimed before.

Amused though he was, Shiro had to admit his own desires were starting to get the better of him. His body was buzzing at the prospect of being able to explore every inch of the dragon that he could, from the flared, nearly orangish tip of Darkscale’s rigid dick to the cute little moue his mouth made whenever he pulled away to catch a breath. Shiro slowly rose from his knees, kissing and licking the half-breed’s curiously scaley body as he went. He planted a passionate, forceful kiss on Darkscale’s mouth before pushing him backwards onto the pile of hides of the makeshift nest. The little dragon tumbled over, scaled legs splaying outwards and his clawed feet in the air. Shiro bit back a chuckle, distracted by his cock pulsing at the sight of the man-drake’s two big, bouncy balls, that gloriously long shaft, twitching above a pair of round little cheeks… and the tantalizing glimpse of something forbidden between them. 

Champion of the Light though he may be, he was still only human. He could not resist diving forward to bury his face between these two luscious globes and swipe his tongue wildly.

“ **RHAR’GAR VAK**!” Darkscale swore, in some language the human did not know. Shiro was pleased at getting that reaction, however, even moreso when the dragon’s clawed hand came about the back of his head and forced him forward so far that the man-drake’s fat, dangling nuts rested on his nose. 

The paladin lost track of how long he’d been down there, tongue-fucking this dragon’s hole. Soft moans escaped Darkscale’s mouth the entire time, barely muffled by the claw he’d stuffed between his teeth. The other hand was still buried in the human’s thick, dark hair. 

As much as he enjoyed rimming the man-drake, his mouth kept finding its way back to the half-breed’s painfully thick, brutally strong, leaking dick; slick from his spit and what was probably some sort of draconic precum. The change in texture during the journey from rim to tip alone was enough to make his head spin, but those times that the Scourge cajoled him into taking the length into his mouth... Shiro couldn’t resist slipping his free hand down between his legs, first to play with the meaty club that hung far too low between his big thighs, then inevitably finding its way lower, past his balls, to tap his hole. 

His legs slapped together, his pelvis rolling with the stroke of his fingers sliding in and out of himself. While the weight of his thick cock grinding into his forearm didn’t help anything, it was actually the ability to choke himself on the dragon’s nearly wrist-thick, outsized shaft that was truly leaving him undone. The paladin had never been one for doing things halfway, after all, and being able to take that much of the man-drake into his throat before gagging was a point of pride.

Every time he pulled off, however, he was reminded that even his best was only getting him about two-thirds of the way. _This is what it’s like when a guy tries to take me_ , he thought, the realization sending a thrill straight to his groin. He ground his cock against his forearm, his foreskin getting caught and exposing the sensitive head. 

The paladin seemed caught in an endless loop, his mouth paying fealty to the Scourge’s mighty rod, while his brain was torn between the desire to make the dragon submit to his manhood and the far more forbidden desire to… experience what few other men could give him. 

He shuddered. It was impossible to tell which thoughts were his own, and which were being filtered in through the empathic link of the paladin bond. 

Instinct took over, his mouth, his free hand exploring lower, beneath the bulge of the draconic sheath, to once again press at what was hidden between those pert cheeks he’d been admiring earlier. The half-dragon was more than willing to accommodate him, legs parting, claws going to the human’s pale shoulders. A vision entered Shiro’s mind, where - once the prep work was complete - the holy knight took his position behind his scaley prize and forced his swollen, tender member deep inside. 

The image hadn’t come from him. He’d never looked at himself, thought of himself as so _edible_ as that. 

Such trivialities were as kindling before a raging fire, however. Too aroused by the thought to contain himself any longer, the paladin grabbed the dragon by his legs and swung upwards, tumbling the half-breed into bed, the holy knight following, on him in a flash.

Darkscale fell back across his pile of hides, arms spread above his head as Shiro eagerly ate him out. Shiro’s hands went on a journey of their own as he did so, caressing Darkscale’s heavy balls, fingertips exploring the edges of the curious slit from where it had all emerged. His tongue followed momentarily, a quick distraction before he shoved his face back into the half-breed’s hole, drawing a sharp, vocal gasp. 

A very cute sound that had the paladin eager to find what other noises he could make. It wasn’t long before Shiro was actively tongue-fucking the Scourge of the Waste’s tight, scaley hole, his left hand stroking the dragon’s enormous shaft while the fingers of his right worked in and out of himself in time with thrust of his tongue against Darkscale’s anus.

Eager to see the fruits of his labor, Shiro pulled away from the Scourge’s taut little butt, standing to surveil his handiwork. He was pleased at the sight of the man-drake’s naked form, legs spread, dick raw and powerful, all laid out for consumption.

“Are you going to fuck me now?” Darkscale asked, his voice almost human, watching him.

Part of him - about ten solid inches of prime human cock - dearly wanted to pounce on the half-breed, drive himself into that hot body and feel those claws on his back. Another part of him, however, a larger part, was too enticed by the steely gaze, by the sight of a massive, alien dick splayed out before him like an angry beast. Even when he’d had both hands on the monster it felt like it could buck and snap itself free: the tough - but fleshy - ridges, the strange nubs that ran along the edge of the glans, the sheer size of the head alone… Shiro couldn’t even begin to imagine what it could do inside him.

Those violet eyes were weighing him. Darkscale’s knees were spread, his hole on display, alongside his monstrous member. The paladin couldn’t tell which was the right decision, which the dragon was expecting him to do - or even if there was a right choice at all.

Prudence would dictate that he go with the very surmountable task of sinking himself to the hilt in the half-dragon’s dark, warm insides. He was the invoker of the Bond, after all, it should be his hand that guided them, his wisdom that saw them through danger, his duty to serve, protect, and honor. 

But… _those ridges_... 

His mouth watered.

Tapping his fingers along the strange, fleshy spines, he made his decision: it was going in him, to hell with sanity and reason. 

“I,” he began, sizing up the incredibly long, inhumanly shaped cock, “am a holy knight.” He moved up the dragon’s narrow body, shifting just enough that he could slip the Scourge’s unyielding rod - stiff as an iron bar - under his buttocks. It snapped upwards the moment it was past his leg, striking his full cheeks with a noisy slap. The implicit threat from size alone was something that would give lesser men pause. Shiro, however, was unphased. “Nothing scares me.” 

In fact, his hole was quivering in anticipation. 

“Shiro?” Darkscale asked, his throbbing rod pressed deep between the human’s taut buttocks. 

Shiro had to almost stand up completely to get his butt over the top of the half-dragon’s wrist-thick cock, and for a moment, after he’d placed the head against his hole, he wondered if he was even going to get it in. 

Darkscale’s eyes went wide when he realized what the human was about to do. “Shiro, it’s too big! There’s no way- !” 

It was already too late. The paladin’s mind was made up.

He braced his huge hands on his ass and bore down until his hole relented, a few inches sliding in and widening him in ways he’d never thought possible. Shiro gasped at how stretched he was by this much alone, but the paladin’s drive was relentless; he kept pushing downwards onto the Scourge’s cock, feeling fuller than ever before. 

At about what he figured had to be a good length, he reached under the fat, heavy bundle of his own long, softened cock and huge balls, making sure it was free before he reached behind himself to find a good 4 inches of dick left outside his hole. Sucking a deep breath, he concentrated on relaxing as he finally he shoved all thirteen inches of thick dragonmeat into his guts. His eyes rolled back in his head as he bottomed out.

"Are you OK?" Darkscale asked, voice trembling with disbelief. Shiro nodded, not trusting himself to speak. 

While he'd been spread before, what he was feeling now was like nothing he'd ever experienced. He felt every fat vein on his shaft pulsing against my ass walls. And the _heat_...

As much as Shiro may have wanted, he knew he couldn't just sit there and grind forever. He slowly pulled up, thighs shaking, until he felt the flare of the half-dragon’s huge glans tug against the rim of his hole before he slid down again, every inch of the mighty rod making him shiver. The paladin smirked at hearing the Scourge of the Wastes groan beneath him. Though facing away would have made this easier, he relished being able to see the man-drake’s narrow chest straining as he fucked himself on the dragon’s shaft, relished being able to see the tension in Darkscale’s arms as he tried to pull the paladin back down each time he rose up. 

The dragon could only take so much teasing, however. He growled, low, rumbling. "Break my scales, paladin!” His fangs flashed in the light, sharp and many, as he tried to push away. “You’re too tight! How - whoa, by the gods!” Shiro’s chuckle was throaty and rich. Not even the steely pressure of the inhuman dick - in shape and in size - inside him could phase him.

Darkscale was lost in sensation. His hands slid over the paladin’s muscular thighs, reaching around to grasp Shiro’s big, round, bubble-butt as it bounced on his shaft. "You like my ass, dragon?” the paladin taunted, more thrilled by the feel of dangerous claws than he cared to let on. There was a reckless cast to his face as he loomed over the Scourge of the Wastes. “Have I impressed you with the strength, the determination of a holy knight?" 

ShIro bore down as he taunted him, tightening his insides about the shaft splitting his guts. Whatever the price he had to pay with his body, he was more than rewarded by the sight of the Scourge’s lust-glazed eyes, the sheen of sweat on those violet scales. Pistoning in and out of the paladin’s ass would only take them so far, however. Shiro could feel it, the pull of the Bond driving both of them towards release - that and his own body responding to the brutal glide of the inhuman cock over his prostate. 

“Meet my challenge, then, Darkscale!” the paladin demanded, panting, as his own thick beast of a cock strained and leaked seed across the half-dragon’s scrawny chest. Part of him wanted to just rush to climax there, just spray his cum across Darkscale’s petite little face before sinking down to let the dragon’s massive shaft soak in his guts - but he couldn’t give in. Not with the bond pressing at him, not when he wanted to take the half-dragon’s pretty little panting tongue into his mouth and suck his entire life-force out of him. 

When his insides pulsed once more, twisting about that moment of bliss, Shiro knew it was time to force the spell’s completion. He posted from tip to the base, a mighty journey that would have felled a lesser man, even as he braced his weight on Darkscale’s wiry, pale arms and demanded an answer from the Scourge of the Wastes once again. “Answer me, dragon!”.

"YES!" Darkscale cried, swearing loudly. "Yes, yes! For fuck’s sake, YES!" 

Shiro dropped his ass entirely, his hole swallowing every single inch of the dragon’s angry length before he felt that first slew of liquid warmth spew inside his guts. His hand went to his own rod immediately and he fisted himself, frantic, but in truth he didn’t need much before his own cum was arcing across the half-man buried to the hilt beneath him. 

Rope after thick white rope splattered across Darkscale’s chest, some of it striking his face, though to his credit the Scourge barely flinched. Probably as lost in the feel of release as Shiro himself was, the bond compounding the mix of climax flowing out from one and into the other and back again.

Even as he rocked, Shiro couldn't believe how much warm, silk-like cream he felt flooding his guts. Eventually he stopped grinding his hips and settled in place, releasing his own cock from its white-knuckled grip. It fell with a heavy _plop_ to Darkscale’s stomach, where the last pulse of watery cum drooled out to pool in the ridges of his abs. 

He could feel similar cum seeping out around the great shaft buried inside him. Sadly, as much as he tried to keep it in there, there was too much and it continued to spill out over his puffy and hard-used hole. Shuddering one last time, he rose - lifting his body off of more than a solid foot of monstrous cock. Not even his paladin training could keep him from throwing his head back, biting his lip at the feel of such a massive length leaving him.

Darkscale’s brutal, draconic rod fell with a thud to the half-dragon’s stomach, where its glistening meat soaked in the seed Shiro had spilled there earlier. The paladin felt his body clench, hungry for more, even with the sore fullness he was still reeling from already. 

“My master warned me about dragons,” he murmured, standing. The relief in his thighs and legs offset the emptiness he felt in his gut. Dragons demanded more from the bond than any other. Shiro did not regret rising to the challenge, however, especially not if it meant… _this_.

He stretched, working out the tension in his shoulders, his back, entirely aware of the violet eyes that raked over his body as it was put on display. Saying nothing, he climbed over the prone half-dragon once again, secretly gloating at the quickened breath, the powerful claws going to grasp his forearms as the Scourge of the Wastes fought to keep from getting overwhelmed. Shiro leaned in close, pressing his lips to dragon’s, ignoring the fangs, the long, slithery tongue, savoring instead the sensation of wholeness at the connection. 

Then he felt the head of his dick graze the wet, slippery length of the half-dragon’s shaft, and something, unbidden, rose up inside him. A squeak of surprise slipped out of Darkscale’s mouth as Shiro deepened the kiss, drawing them back towards that precipice of desire and instinct.

“Sh-Shiro?” the hapless young dragon stuttered, alarmed at the sudden resurgence of the human’s appetite. 

"The Bonding isn’t finished yet." He pressed his much larger body over the Scourge’s narrow chest, shifting that so that their slick lengths pressed together. The charge he got when the dragon’s whole body stiffened, forcing those narrow hips to push against him, made the paladin feel about ten feet tall and like he could take on the world. “Patience, Darkscale. Just… focus on me...”

Darkscale’s beautiful violet orbs rolled upwards, his mouth hanging open, before he could rally. “What?” His free hand went to stroke the back of the paladin’s sweat-slick hair. “What do we need to do next?”

Reveling in the strange, salty taste of the dragon’s sweat, Shiro took his time before he answered. “We need to do it again.”

“Again!”

“I told you, the bond feeds off our shared emotions.” He laved his tongue up Darkscale’s throat, testing those places where scales turned to flesh. His teeth closed on the Scourge’s chin. “The first act starts it, the second act seals it.” In his mounting excitement, he started to thrust his wide hips into the half-dragon’s, the mix of sweat and seed slick enough they could frot. “Trust me, Darkscale,” he implored, his hand slipping between them to better position the gleaming, draconic dick. “Let me finish it.”

Caught up in the human’s lusty embrace, the mighty Scourge could only moan as he felt his drakehood get ground against the paladin’s own impressive length. 

Taking that as a sign of acquiencese, Shiro stood, stretched for one more glorious moment, and then climbed back on top of the half-dragon once again so he could slide back down the hefty prick and complete the next part of the ritual. He planted his bare feet on either side of Darkscale’s hips, keeping his weight balanced on the balls of his feet this time, before he slowly began to squat down. 

Darkscale shuddered the moment the human’s wet hole made contact with the spongy tip of his cock. His hands went to the paladin’s big, powerful thighs, massaging them, before moving upwards to tug at the man’s hips. 

Shiro resisted, teasing the thick head pressed against him with only the rim of his hole, barely even letting that first inch slip in. 

“Shiro! Shiro, please!” the dragon begged, his little tongue lolling out between the ineffectual attempts to get the paladin speared on his great, furious length once again.

With the grace of a stalking tiger, Shiro caught the man in a kiss, trapping that little tongue and teasing it into his own mouth, even while he continued his torment of Darkscale’s cock. The half-dragon nearly succeeded in slipping his flared _glans_ into Shiro’s hole a couple times, but the paladin was quick to quirk his hips just so to turn potential penetration back into useless, slick sliding between his cheeks. He didn’t stop until he drew a straight-up wail of frustration from the powerful, dangerous creature clutching at his ass. 

“ _Shiro_ ,” Darkscale whined, voice raw and cthonic. His claws scraped down the man’s broad, muscular back.

Well, if the Scourge of the Wastes was going to beg… Shiro could show him some mercy. He was a holy knight, after all. 

Reaching below to line up the dragon’s hot, straining rod, the paladin offered a cocky smirk that slipped briefly when he finally let that enormous cock pierce him again. The first time had been something else, otherworldly, full of sensations that he had not known before; doing all that again but with the contrast of the very real soreness, the familiar stretch of that hungry ache, and the return of that fullness in his gut that seemed to reach up into his throat… Shiro’s dick twitched, stirring as it expanded back to its fearsome girth. 

Darkscale’s beautiful violet eyes, reptilian and yet so very human in their emotion, were so wide with awe that Shiro’s smirk found its way back to his face.

The paladin slowly rose up on his knees, his ass sliding up the full length of the dragon’s rigid erection. When he reached the top - when just the head was still in him - he groaned, sliding his ass all the way down again. His own rock-hard cock spasmed as he began to slowly ride up and down the eleven inches inside him, never quite seating himself fully to take the remainder.

_By the Gods _, Shiro swore, both welcoming the dragon’s return and cursing himself for giving in to his hunger. This weakness was going to be the end of him.__

__The dragon too, probably, if the bond succeeded. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to resist making a meal of the half-breed every single night. He tilted forward, looming over the much smaller man, his breath on the half-dragon’s fleshy cheek. “Let’s finish the Bond together, Darkscale.” Something inside him gave, causing his breath to hitch as the last bit of the dragon’s manhood sank inside him. It felt like it should be coming out the back of his throat, and he wasn’t sure if his next words were for himself or Darkscale. “You’re so close! I - I can feel that we’re almost ready!”_ _

__Maybe it was both._ _

__Shiro sensed whatever wall - distrust, anger, loneliness - the Scourge had built finally collapse, flooding his head with alien thoughts, feelings. Grasped images of a burly human taking his scaled claw in-hand, a tall and marvelously elegant woman with inhuman features beside him. Grasped the bitterness, the isolation, the sense of abandonment by others, grasped the beauty and strength gained from his retreat to the Wastes._ _

__Like the fog before twilight, the Bond rose up around them, suffusing the air to the point of suffocation. It was in their every breath, in the touch of their hands on each other’s skin, the joined beads of sweat pooling on Darkscale’s scale-banded chest. For a moment, they were as one, some unknown channel opening between them to share thoughts, sensations that were so alien to the other that they quickly lost coherence. What Shiro had thought was the true completion of the Bond was just a momentary contact before it fell apart with the two of them spinning off into the ether, and try as he might, he could not force them back to that same point._ _

__Instead he found himself still impaled on the incredibly thick shaft, the writhing half-dragon locked beneath him in a sweaty sweaty tangle of limbs, and he still was no closer to feeling the bond complete._ _

__Sunset was only minutes away. His oath was empowered by the Light, and he didn’t know if the bond would be affected by the setting sun. Regardless, the paladin wasn’t about to risk letting it fail now, not after he’d found what had sparked to a roaring blaze with his companion. Shiro ground his ass hard on the humongous, draconic rod buried in his guts, groaning at the sweet burn from the movement. He needed to make Darkscale cum again, in-tune with himself this time._ _

__The hero bit his lip, trying hard not to make a sound as his tortured, tender ring was continued to be abused by the sheer size of the beast he worked in and out of himself. “Darkscale,” he whispered, guiding the half-dragon’s hands up and down his thighs._ _

__After several minutes of seductive undulations, he felt Darkscale’s body tense, just as before, when he first erupted up his ass. He was close - and Shiro could feel his own body responding, could feel the _Bond_ responding._ _

__“Please, Darkscale. I need you beside me.” He mouthed at the half-dragon’s pretty face, his lips passing over the man’s eyes, his cheeks, his petite jaw. Darkscale whined, clutching desperately. “In battle,” the paladin continued, his eyes soft, enchanting, “In my heart.”_ _

__Whatever bastion of resistance had been left of the Scourge’s iron will was as nothing before the warmth of that gentle gaze. The binding spell that suffused them both surged with mana, even as the dragon’s claws curled about Shiro’s hips and he thrust upwards, finally embracing the power of his own role with reckless abandon._ _

__It didn’t take long for the half-dragon’s wild bucking into such hot, pliant flesh pushing them both into frenzied exhilaration. Between the heady loss of control and his cock pushing his previous load even deeper, Shiro’s eyes were rolled back in his head and it was a struggle for the paladin to maintain coherent thought. “Shiro,” Darkscale growled through clenched teeth, the urge to bury himself inside the human and flood him with seed rising to an uncontrollable degree. “Shiro!”_ _

__After that second cry, and a particularly vicious stab at his prostate, the human lost it and started spasming, years of iron-bound will and steadfast control fraying into nothing, all while his hole twitched and clutched violently on the half-dragon’s cock._ _

__“SHIRO!” Darkscale cried a third time, climax ripping through him even as a powerful spurt of cum shot from Shiro’s bouncing cock and splattered noisily across the half-dragon’s face. The paladin came and came while he rode the Scourge’s wild, barbarous thrusts, lifted from the ground by the dragon’s strength. It took many minutes for Darkscale to give out, legs collapsing and dropping them both to the ground, where he lay gasping, his fat dick continuing to spew a seemingly endless supply of hot seed into the human’s guts. Both of them ended up lost in their orgasms, swallowed by the intensity of the Other, a nearness, a proximity that neither could hope to explain or describe welling up about them, even as the earthly pleasure of their bodies continued to manifest._ _

__Shiro, head half-full of clouds while is very real body still rode the waves of ecstasy, up and down, until the very last ripple, struggled to clear his mind when he felt the Bond rise up from the shadows, seep in from seemingly all about them. Expansive, overwhelming in the moment, a cliff surrounding a depthless pool of connection so vast he dared not approach its edge._ _

__“I can feel you,” he murmured, in awe of something much greater than the physical sensation of the young half-dragon trembling beneath him, twitching inside him._ _

__The sensitivity would fade in time. He knew that from other paladins - but nothing had prepared him for the sheer _beauty_ he saw in the starry expanse of his bonded’s eyes, the boundless swirls of thought and emotion he could practically taste on his tongue, feel for himself. For the moment of joining, they were as one; loneliness cast aside, old wounds forgotten in the reprieve of finally being known. _ _

__Known, and accepted without judgement. Shrio couldn’t tell if that was more important to himself or the dragon, and honestly he couldn’t be bothered to care. All he knew was that not even bringing the one-time Scourge of the Wastes’ lips to his own was enough to quell the rising tide of glory that sang through his veins. Eventually he just stopped resisting, and together they plunged into that great, burgeoning sea of eternity that now bound the two of them together, his sense of self tossed to the wind, heedless of whether or not he could even come back._ _

__They floated together, for an unknowable amount of time, drifting from memory to memory and buoyed by something that words couldn’t hope to describe._ _

__Even in that bit of eternity, however, the call of the mortal coil still called. Bit by bit, the endless expanse surrounding them fell away, a gulf emerging between their thoughts until there was naught but the barest sense of the other in the back of their own head._ _

__A relief on its own, in some ways, to feel the coolness of his sweat-slicked skin and know it was his own, to feel the pleasant ache in his gut was his own needs getting met, and different than the sensations of a strange and foreign cock so unlike his own._ _

__Dangerous thoughts to dwell on, still, for he could feel his blood quicken, feel his body stir despite its fatigue. Though he’d never admit it, there was a dark part of himself that welcomed the thought of finding oblivion in this manner- no. The paladin brought all his years of training, more than a decade of practice, to bear._ _

__He would not meet his end in a Bond gone wrong, lost to lust and the desire to devour his mate. _Mate_? part of his mind questioned, unsure if the thought was his own or the dragon’s. _ _

__But the voice was cast aside when the paladin’s sight returned, and his body was fully his own._ _

__He was slick with sweat from head to toe, and his thighs burned from exertion. His own great manhood lay draped across Darkscale’s stomach, seed pooling in the ridges of the Scourge’s pale abs._ _

__Most importantly, he found himself still impaled, the monstrous member inside him half-woken, his newly bonded mount staring up at him with glazed eyes. Shiro couldn’t help the giddy laugh that slipped out._ _

__“It’s good that you’re ready,” he breathed, rolling forward, arms on either side of Darkscale’s face. “We need to keep going.”_ _

__There were times that his urge for oblivion won out._ _

__Darkscale trembled. “What? But-,” he tried to say, dodging the paladin’s hungry mouth. Not an easy task, and the human man managed to catch him more than a few times. “Shiro, didn’t we already-,” he gasped, too light-headed to manage an actual defense but still possessed of some common sense._ _

__The hero was relentless, however, and caught him in a searing kiss that had the dragon’s toes curling and dick stiffening all over again. When he finally pulled away, Shiro’s doe-brown eyes were deep, unfathomable pools._ _

__“I need more from you.” His expression held something the half-dragon had never seen before, an edge that had his blood singing. He couldn’t help but stare, captivated, as the paladin straightened to his full, seated height. “I need you to fuck me ‘til I’m raw, then flip me over and fuck me again.”_ _

__“What!” Darkscale gasped, his powerful dragon body at the complete mercy of a mere human._ _

__Shiro grinned, rolling his hips. His voice was low, sultry. “I need your cum, Keith. Please, fuck me with your giant dragon dick, I need your cock so ba-”_ _

__\---------------------------------------_ _

__“Whatcha doodlin’ there, Keith?” Lance asked, his voice cutting through the red paladin’s thoughts like a plasma blade. He craned his head over to peer at the tablet Keith had been drawing on. “Little dragon guy teaming up with Shiro or something?”_ _

__Keith’s hand snapped all sixteen tabs off-screen with such perfunctory coldness that ice practically formed about the tablet’s edges. “Shut it, Lance.”_ _

__“Woah, tou-chy!” Lance exclaimed, hands up defensively. A gleam appeared in his eye, however, and he oh-so-casually leaned across the back of Keith’s seat.“Just noticing that you sure like drawing Shiro in skimpy armor, that’s all!”_ _

__The ornery red paladin was silent for a moment, one eye trained on Lance with a dagger-like glare. “You’re one to talk,, he said finally, “After asking me to draw Allura’s Valayun as a nekogirl-,”_ _

__“Woah haha ho I don’t know what you’re talking about there, Keith!” Lance said all too quickly, ducking his head furtively to make sure the rest of the team was out of earshot. He lowered his voice. “Did you do it?”_ _

__Keith merely twiddled his pen-nub for a moment, before casually sliding a picture of Valayun over to the blue paladin’s inbox, not as an elf but as one of the neko-ji - or whatever Lance had called Pike’s race. Cat ears, fluffy tail, and even little catnip sprigs for earrings instead of laurel leaves._ _

__Lance, seeing the file arrive, gripped his tablet with both hands, his voice rising to a high pitched squeak. “Ooo she’s so cute - oh and you even gave her a widdwe kitty nose to boop and -,” the blue paladin stopped, clutching the tablet to his breast, eyes closed for a second. “Oh, man, Keith! I owe you one!”_ _

__“You owe me several.” Dry as his response was, even he was not unmoved by the open joy on his comrade’s face._ _

__“I could make sure that you and Shiro have some alone time in the locker room after practice,” Lance cooed. The black-eyed glare he got in return had him chortling as he danced out of striking distance._ _

__Growling under his breath, Keith settled back in his seat, scowl lifting after a moment. He turned back to his tablet, flicking through the draw-tabs until he found the one he was proudest of. Not because it showed off his skill or his - ahem, anatomical knowledge - but because it was simple, and all the more perfect for it: a fat little dragon curled protectively around a tiny, shining man in brilliant armor._ _

__For a moment, he held the image’s icon over his chat with Shiro, tempted… but then he let it release without sending._ _

__Maybe some other time._ _

__He’d kept his feelings to himself this long, after all. No need to saddle his best friend with any more headaches than the guy had already._ _

__Sensing that he was being watched, the dark-haired man looked up in time to catch Shiro gazing at him from across the room, an unreadable look on his face. It was gone in the span of a heartbeat, however, replaced with the dazzling grin_ _

__Keith took a moment to consider his drawing again, then added some comical hearts about it, debating on how many would be appropriately over the top._ _

__He settled on one._ _

__Any other thoughts on the matter had to be put aside: Shiro had gotten up and, after stretching far enough that his shirt rode up and pants dipped down, came over to drop down beside Keith. “What did you think of our first session with all six of us?” he asked._ _

__“I’d forgotten how much fun it is to just be with everyone.“ Keith’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “But mostly I liked how you somehow aggro’d all three gorgax witches and had to spend the whole game saving against being turned into a fish. You’re welcome for those new bonuses, by the way.” The tone of his voice belied the sugarry edge underneath._ _

__“Oookay, _thank_ you, Keith.” Shiro laughed, shoving him. “But now that we got this fancy new bond, I might actually live long enough to see things through til the end.” He grinned when Keith chuckled, but then he got close, leaning his weight on Keith’s shoulder. “So do I get to ride you now?”_ _

__Charmed, the ex-paladin spoke without thinking. “You can ride me anytime you want.”_ _

__Shiro blinked at him. “What?”_ _

__Keith froze. “My character.” His voice was smoother than he felt. He gestured vaguely at his tablet. “He’s got a ton of strength so he can fly you out of danger.”_ _

__Shiro’s face did that weird flicker thing again, like he’d fumbled and recovered. Inwardly, Keith winced, wishing he wasn’t so awkward._ _

__“Aww,” Shiro cooed, back to normal. He planted his chin on his high-tech hand. “Looking out for me even here in Algea, huh Keith?”_ _

__“Whatever it takes, Shiro,” the red paladin replied, hopelessly lost and just happy for a way out. Then, because he couldn’t resist, “... to see you not die for rolling a 2.”_ _

__“Hey!” the leader of Voltron growled, snaring the smaller man in a headlock. He deepened his voice to ‘heroic’ mode. “I’ll have you know my curse is just the burden all great heroes bear!”_ _

__“I thought _greatness_ was the burden all heroes bear,” Keith replied, to the immediate deflation of Shiro’s breast. The black paladin rounded on him, eyes ablaze, before he simply flexed the arm about the younger man’s neck. _ _

__Chortling, Keith only feigned his struggle to break free, content to stay trapped in his best friend’s arms so long as Shiro resisted letting go._ _

__He was happy._ _

__\-------------------------------  
Meanwhile…_ _

__Away in the world of Algea, the timeless world built with magic and mystery, a young dragon lay safely curled in his Bonded’s arms, a warmth that he had not known for decades kindling in his breast. Something warm, something that filled him in a way he had not even known he needed. He lifted his head from the human’s broad chest, violet eyes seeking that soft human gaze that just… overwhelmed him with its inner light._ _

__“I never expected to find a friend,” Shiro murmed, eyes taking him in - taking _all_ of him in. “Someone to join me in battle. But what I found…” he trailed off for a moment, his hands tightening about Darkscale’s back. “What I found was so much more.”_ _

__The Scourge of the Wastes, territorial, utterly ruthless and undisputed ruler of all his realm, had no defense against something like that. He’d never needed to. Never expected such an attack._ _

__He stretched upwards to press his nose to the paladin’s soft cheek, nip his teeth against the man’s jaw._ _

__That warmth kindling inside him was going to be a blazing fire. He could tell that already._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know who you think was controlling the characters here - if anyone. Or both? Who's to say :P
> 
> I'm always looking for improvement so if you see parts that you really liked or something that was very much a no-go, let me know! It helps me figure out what readers want to take away from a fic :)

**Author's Note:**

> for the love of god, please tell me if I misspelled something or dropped a contraction
> 
> if you liked it, hope you let me know!


End file.
